It never ceases to amaze me that successful entrepreneurs can have such different personalities, excel in completely different markets, have vastly different strengths and skills and yet there are some fundamental principles that seem to underlie them all.
Indeed, we are at a crossroads in today’s economy where so many people, young and old, are leading an unprecedented interest and trail toward creating their own brand and their own businesses.
As social networking and technology now put the tools in the hands of each one of us to represent ourselves in the marketplace, suddenly the path toward becoming and entrepreneur is the mainstream path instead of the path less traveled.
I truly believe that we will hit a point in my lifetime when working for someone else is as risky (if not riskier) than working for yourself.
So, if becoming an entrepreneur is the new normal over the next decade, we better get a better sense for what that means right?
Sir Richard Branson may not have done things the way you would have done things, but his lessons for being a successful entrepreneur are universally applicable:
Richard’s top tips for becoming a successful entrepreneur are:
1. Offer a product or service that improves someone’s life (if even in a small way) – that is the fundamental value to the market that you will exchange for currency
2. Hire great people around you and empower them. That may be freelancers in the beginning, but will eventually mean surrounding yourself with people who’s values align with yours…that’s critical to building the type of business that you see as valuable and staying happy
3. Create or offer great products.
4. Get the word out – learn marketing, what motivates and interests people and how to influence people
5. Have fun…perhaps most important of all, so many people forget this and end up trying to build or grow companies they hate.
Pretty solid advice that applies universally to anyone who seeks to become an entrepreneur.
Do you have a tip that you think should be added? Leave a comment.
